Thien Cam: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Thiên Cầm means the heavenly lute. A legend says an ancient king passed this bay and heard music in the wind blowing over the rocks of the mountain, and the name stayed. The village is a small resort of the Hà Tĩnh coast, quieter than the beaches further north, with a working fishing port at its southern end. This morning starts at the boats, goes along the sand and up the hill, and ends at the big lake inland. Get up for the port: the catch is sold out soon after sunrise.
The ten best sights in Thien Cam
1Thiên Cầm BeachA long curve of pale sand with pine trees behind it; busy only on summer weekends
2Thiên Cầm MountainThe rocky hill at the north end of the beach; climb it for the view over the bay
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3Cầm Sơn Pagoda
Small pagoda on the slope of Thiên Cầm mountain, on the way up to the view
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4Cửa Nhượng Lighthouse
Lighthouse over the river mouth just south of the beach; good at sunrise
5Kẻ Gỗ LakeA huge reservoir in the hills with a forest reserve beyond it; 30 minutes inland
6Võ Miếu TempleThe military temple of the old provincial capital, in the middle of Hà Tĩnh city
7Đồng Lộc JunctionWar memorial at a bombed crossroads of the supply road, with the graves of ten young women
8Hương Tích PagodaMountain pagoda in the Hồng Lĩnh range; a cable car or a long climb of steps
9Hồng Lĩnh MountainsThe 99 peaks of folk songs, rising straight from the coastal plain north of Hà Tĩnh
10Nguyễn Du MemorialHome village of Vietnam's national poet, an hour north; the museum explains the Tale of Kiều
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Thien Cam →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Thien Cam:
Free walking tours in Thien Cam
The heavenly lute
Thiên Cầm means the heavenly lute. A legend says an ancient king passed this bay and heard music in the wind blowing over the rocks of the mountain, and the name stayed. The village is a small resort of the Hà Tĩnh coast, quieter than the beaches further north, with a working fishing port at its southern end. This morning starts at the boats, goes along the sand and up the hill, and ends at the big lake inland. Get up for the port: the catch is sold out soon after sunrise.
- Cẩm Nhượng Fishing Port · Cẩm Nhượng sits on the river mouth that gives the port its shelter, and its fleet fishes far out into the Gulf of Tonkin. In the early morning the women on the quay sort the catch and sell it by the basket.
- Cửa Nhượng Lighthouse · The lighthouse marks the entrance to the Cửa Nhượng river mouth for the boats coming home at night. From the rocks beneath it you see the fishing fleet on one side and the long beach on the other.
- Thiên Cầm Beach · The beach is a crescent of fine sand several kilometres long, closed by headlands at both ends, so the water is calmer than on the open coast. Rows of casuarina pines behind it give shade in the heat of the afternoon.
- Thiên Cầm Mountain · This is the hill of the legend: its rocks drop straight into the sea at the north end of the bay. On a windy day you can still hear the waves and the wind among the boulders.
- Cầm Sơn Pagoda · The pagoda takes its name from the mountain it stands on, Cầm Sơn, the lute mountain. It is a quiet village temple, and the path past it is the easiest way up to the viewpoint.
- Kẻ Gỗ Lake · Kẻ Gỗ is one of the largest reservoirs in central Vietnam, built after the war to water the rice fields of the province. The forest hills behind it are a nature reserve set up to protect rare pheasants that live only in this part of Vietnam.
Poets, generals and the ten girls
Hà Tĩnh is a poor, stubborn province that has given Vietnam an unusual number of scholars, poets and revolutionaries. This loop goes north from the city to the coast, to the village of the national poet and up into the mountains, and comes back by the crossroads where the war is remembered most sharply. A full day of driving on small roads; leave early, and keep Đồng Lộc for the late afternoon, when it is cooler and quieter.
- Hà Tĩnh Market · Kẹo cu đơ is Hà Tĩnh's sweet: a slab of peanuts set in cane molasses and ginger, pressed between two thin toasted rice crackers. Every stall in the market sells it, and it is the thing to bring home from the province.
- Võ Miếu Temple · Provincial capitals under the old dynasties had two official temples, one for Confucian scholars and one, the võ miếu, for military heroes. Hà Tĩnh's martial temple honours famous generals of Vietnamese history.
- Nam Giới Mountain · Lê Khôi was a nephew of Lê Lợi and one of the commanders of the war against the Ming. He died in 1446 returning from a campaign in the south and was buried here, and the Chiêu Trưng temple below the mountain is dedicated to him.
- Nguyễn Du Memorial · Nguyễn Du (1765-1820) wrote the Tale of Kiều, a long poem in about 3,250 lines that is the best-loved work of Vietnamese literature. Many Vietnamese can recite parts of it by heart, and fortune-tellers once used it to read the future.
- Hương Tích Pagoda · Old texts call the pagoda the first beauty spot of Hoan Châu, the old name of this region. It stands high in the Hồng Lĩnh mountains, which folk tradition says have 99 peaks.
- Đồng Lộc Junction · The junction was a choke point on the road that carried supplies south during the war, and it was bombed again and again. On 24 July 1968 a bomb killed ten young women volunteers who were filling the craters; they were between 17 and 24, and they are buried here together.
South over the Ngang Pass
The road south from Thiên Cầm, the way to Huế and Hội An, climbs over the Hoành Sơn range at the Ngang Pass, an old border between Vietnamese and Cham lands and the range the Nguyễn lords crossed to build their own realm in the south. Just beyond it, in Quảng Bình, is the grave of the general who won Điện Biên Phủ. This is a morning on the way out, roughly 60 km, with stops at a lake, a port, the pass and the sea.
- Sông Rác Lake · Sông Rác is one of the irrigation lakes that the province built in its hills, and the road south passes close to it. Early in the day the water is still and the hills of the Hoành Sơn range show behind it.
- Vũng Áng · Vũng Áng is a deep-water bay that became an industrial port with a large steel works. In 2016 waste water from the plant killed fish along about 200 km of the central coast, and the Taiwanese owner admitted responsibility and paid compensation.
- Ngang Pass · The poet Bà Huyện Thanh Quan crossed here in the nineteenth century and wrote Qua Đèo Ngang, Crossing the Ngang Pass, a short poem of loneliness that Vietnamese children learn at school. The tunnel now takes most traffic, so take the old road over the top.
- Hoành Sơn Gate · Emperor Minh Mạng built this stone gate on the pass in 1833. The range had long been a frontier: a famous saying advised the Nguyễn lords that the Hoành Sơn strip could shelter their family for ten thousand generations, and they made the land south of it their own.
- Grave of General Võ Nguyên Giáp · Võ Nguyên Giáp led the army that defeated the French at Điện Biên Phủ in 1954, and later commanded the war against the United States. He died in 2013 at the age of 102 and asked to be buried here, by the sea in his home province of Quảng Bình.
- Yến Island · The small island off Vũng Chùa is the view the general's grave faces across the water. Visitors walk down from the grave to the shore, where the sea is clear and the bay is closed by the hills.
Getting to Thien Cam and getting around
- Hà Tĩnh Bus Station · Buses north to Vinh and Hanoi and south to Đồng Hới; Thiên Cầm is about 25 km on by taxi
- Hương Phố Station · Hà Tĩnh city is not on the railway; this inland station on the main line is the nearest, about an hour and a half from Thiên Cầm
Cheap eats in Thien Cam
Hà Tĩnh food is plain, salty and hot, the cooking of a province that has known hard times. On the coast it means fresh fish, squid and the small clams of the river mouths, often simply boiled or grilled and eaten with chilli salt and lime. Inland you meet ram, little crisp spring rolls eaten with soft rice sheets, and every market sells kẹo cu đơ. Prices are low, and seafood is sold by weight.
- Fish at Cẩm Nhượng quay · Fresh squid about 150,000-250,000 dong a kilo
- Beach seafood restaurants · Choose from the tanks, pay by weight; a meal for two about 300,000-500,000 dong
- Kẹo cu đơ · A pack about 20,000-40,000 dong
- Ram and bánh mướt · Small crisp spring rolls with soft rice sheets and herbs, a plate about 25,000-40,000 dong
- Cẩm Xuyên morning noodles · Bún or cháo canh at the town's breakfast stalls, about 20,000-30,000 dong
- Green tea by the river mouth · Strong fresh green tea in a glass at the stalls by the boats, about 5,000-10,000 dong
Holy places in Thien Cam
- Hương Tích Pagoda · Cable car or about an hour of steps; busiest in the first lunar months
- Cầm Sơn Pagoda · Small hill pagoda over the beach; free
- Võ Miếu Temple · City-centre temple to military heroes; quiet except on festival days
- Chiêu Trưng Temple · Free; about 40 minutes north of Thiên Cầm
- Đồng Lộc Junction · Visitors bring combs, mirrors and flowers to the ten girls' graves
Museums in Thien Cam
- Nguyễn Du Memorial · Small fee; the family tombs and a museum in the village
- Đồng Lộc memorial · Free; open daily
- Hoành Sơn Gate · Stone gate and old wall on the pass; free
- Võ Nguyên Giáp's grave · Free; Vietnamese visitors come in large groups, dress respectfully
Nature and day trips near Thien Cam
- Kẻ Gỗ Lake · Free at the dam; boats can be hired
- Thiên Cầm Mountain · Short climb; best at sunrise over the sea
- Thiên Cầm Beach · Swim from May to August; rough in the autumn storm season
- Hồng Lĩnh Mountains · Go with the pagoda; take water
- Ngang Pass · Views down to the sea on both sides; take the old road
Things to do in Thien Cam with kids
- Thiên Cầm Beach · Free; umbrellas for hire in summer
- Boats at Cẩm Nhượng · Free; very early in the morning
- Cửa Nhượng Lighthouse · Rocks to climb and boats to watch
- Boat on Kẻ Gỗ Lake · A short boat trip on the reservoir
Frequently asked questions about Thien Cam
What is there to see in Thien Cam?
The top sights in Thien Cam are Thiên Cầm Beach, Thiên Cầm Mountain and Cầm Sơn Pagoda. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Thien Cam?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Thien Cam without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Thien Cam?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Thien Cam, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The heavenly lute.
How do you get to Thien Cam and get around?
The main ways are Hà Tĩnh Bus Station and Hương Phố Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Thien Cam, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Thien Cam that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Thien Cam for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.